First Class TreesCAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDEN was first opened in 1846; a result of thepassion and vision of Professor John Henslow who, as well as developing gardenswith plant species from around the world, saw trees as being a major part of thewhole project. Today, the gardens which are located less than a mile from <strong>Cambridge</strong>town centre, have over 8,000 plant species, including nine National PlantCollections, and a stunning arboretum which has around 1,500trees covering 1,200 species and varieties.With such an abundance of trees, many of which arechampions or have heritage credentials, James Hendriewent along to find out more.The branches of this Indian Bean (Catalpa x erubescens‘Purpurea’) have had to be shortened to address structural issuesand for public safety reasons.From two Caucasian wingnut (Pterocaryafraxinifolia) trees, both of which have long sincebeen lost, this amazing series of suckers have grownup making this tree one of the most outstanding inthe garden.39
A short distance away grows a champion Gerard’s pine (Pinus gerardiana) with its distinctive scaly bark.It is over 14 metres tall, easily making it the tallest in Britain and Tim confirmed the desire of the gardens tomaintain this tree species at <strong>Cambridge</strong>, with new plants being propagated from it by seed and grafting. Ourtour not only saw us review individual trees but also, in the case of some beech trees, a ‘family’ of them.On the edge of the Cory Lawn Tim paused to show me an interesting example of Henslow’s original plantingsof the 1840s – four different beech trees all growing side by side. “Henslow wanted to illustrate the variationwithin species and show how ‘monstrosities’, as he called them, were produced by random and abruptchanges in the genetic code of the Common beech.”A Common beech (Fagus sylvatica) is surrounded by a Cut-leaved beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Laciniata’),another type has upward turning tips in its branches – not a specific taxa, just showing variation, and thereis an amazing example of a beech with a more pendulous habit and distinct graft line at about 1.5m (Fagussylvatica ‘Pendula’ – just a more pendulous variant and not this cultivar).Henslow’s thoughts on variation, as demonstrated through these plantings, are important as he was mentorto Charles Darwin and signed the letter recommending him for the Beagle voyage. Darwin’s own theory ofevolution may have its origins with Henslow at <strong>Cambridge</strong>.The garden’s Giant redwood trees (Sequoiadendrongiganteum) are believed to have come as seedlings fromthe famous William Lobb nursery in the 1850s.This Cork oak (Quercus suber) is a challenge tomanage because of its large spreading branches and itsproximity to the glasshouses. Sadly, it is also showingsigns of structural compensation.Tim Upson next to the Wild pear that has become thefocal point of a storybook called ‘The Magic Brick Tree’.No trip to the <strong>Cambridge</strong> Botanic <strong>Garden</strong>s could be completed without taking time to check out the garden’svery own <strong>Cambridge</strong> oak (Quercus x warburgii). Interestingly, this tree is not a champion, despite its near17-metre height and crown of nearly 20 metres! It is, nevertheless, a wonderful example. While its original andexact planting date may be unknown, it is certainly a tree that provides year-round interest to visitors, with itscopper-red spring foliage and golden yellow catkins.It is a tree Tim and his crew are now managing as a veteran. It has Ganoderma and plenty of dead wood inthe canopy, so they have redirected the path away from the canopy. They manage it for its biodiversity valueand new plantings will mark the garden’s two entrances in the future.From a similar period, in terms of plantings, comes the garden’s collection of Giant redwood (Sequoiadendrongiganteum). Two of the trees are located on opposite sides of the main walk near the fountain. It is thought thatthese specimens may have been planted out in 1855, having been grown from original Veitch’s Nursery seeds.It was further up the path though that Tim took me to see a 31-metre high example of the redwood, the tallesttree in the gardens.As we approached the end of our tour Tim had certainly saved some of the best trees to the last for me to see.The Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), which grows gracefully on the south-western edge of thelake, is the first of its kind to have been grown in Britain. The species was discovered in China in 1946, havingonly previously been known to man through 100-million-year-old fossilised remains. Seed reached <strong>Cambridge</strong>via the British Consulate and Professor of Botany before any garden in the UK and it was the first to be planted.It was recognised in 2002 as being one of the fifty Great British trees commemorating the Queen’s GoldenJubilee.“This type of tree is one that favours damp conditions and the planting of it near to the lake has certainlyhelped its development. It is fast growing and while it is now a common sight throughout Britain and some haveovertaken ours in height, others do not have the rugged, fluted trunk that ours does and can’t claim to be thefirst grown,” Tim told me.The garden’s original entrance gate on the Trumpington Road is where the then Vice Chancellor of theuniversity, the Reverend Ralph Tatham, planted a simple Common lime (Tilia europaea) in 1846, still growingproudly in this location today. While the main visitor entrance has moved, the lime has remained in situ andforms a real focal point to the main walk of the gardens.Located on the south-western edge of the systematic beds, the Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) is one of themost unusual examples of the Mulberry family. Tim told me that the tree took its name from the Missouri Indianswho used it to make bows and clubs. Funnier still though was the fact that its fruit, which resembles a green,knobbly orange, is known by the staff of the gardens as ‘pickled gardener’s brains’.If this was an unusual tree, our final port of call was a very ordinary looking Wild pear (Pyrus communis),whose only point of interest as far as I could see were the tar-filled bricks inside its hollow trunk, a relic of thedays in the 1960s when this method of treatment was thought to help such ailing trees.Tim enlightened me as to the reason this tree was special. A group of young carers from <strong>Cambridge</strong> used it asthe focal point of a storybook they wrote entitled The Magic Brick Tree.The young people wrote about a strange world inside the bricked-up tree and recounted tales of mystery andintrigue in the magical kingdom that the tree was located in. “It was a wonderful experience to be involved inthis project and see just how creative these young carers could be as they gave a very different perspective tothis tree,” Tim told me, as he posed next to this magical tree for a picture.While there are countless many other trees of interest at the gardens it was clear to me that the ones Timselected for my visit were of great interest. Maybe not all were champions, but they all had a story to tell. Acouple of months after my visit Tim contacted me to let me know of another tree causing interest at <strong>Cambridge</strong>.The garden’s Emmenopterys henryi had flowered for the first time in thirty years – and only the fifth time in theUK!40
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